This invention relates to compound bows, and more specifically to cable guards used with compound bows. Compound bows are well known in the field of archery, an activity that involves skill, accuracy, and precision. When a drawn arrow is released, it is desirable to minimize vertical travel and/or horizontal travel of the rear of the arrow shaft, in order to achieve a consistent and accurate arrow launch.
Compound bows typically have a rotatable member at each end of the bow—of which at least one is typically a cam assembly. A first cable (e.g. a bow string) is in communication with the rotatable members and a second cable (e.g. a power cable) is in communication with the cam assembly. Some compound bows include an anchor cable, such as a one-cam bow, or multiple power cables, such as a two-cam bow.
Fixed, relatively stiff cable guards have previously been used to displace the power cable(s) and/or the secondary string payout cable laterally, moving them out of the shooting plane proximate to the arrow's travel path during release of a drawn arrow. Such cable guards also prevent the arrow from contacting the displaced cable(s) during draw and release. However, the lateral displacement of the power cable(s) and/or secondary string payout cable generally applies a lateral force to the rotatable members, and to the distal ends of the bow's limbs, which can result in undesirable nock travel in the horizontal direction during arrow launch. With modern compound bows having a shorter axle-to-axle distance between the rotatable members than prior bow designs, the negative effects of traditional cable guards have been amplified.
There remains a need for novel cable guard configurations that allow for greater bow efficiency and reduced torqueing forces on the limbs and/or rotatable members.
All US patents and applications and all other published documents mentioned anywhere in this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Without limiting the scope of the invention, a brief summary of some of the claimed embodiments of the invention is set forth below. Additional details of the summarized embodiments of the invention and/or additional embodiments of the invention may be found in the Detailed Description of the Invention below.
A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification is also provided for the purposes of complying with 37 C.F.R. 1.72. The abstract is not intended to be used for interpreting the scope of the claims.